The wheels of a car stuck in the mud can busily spin forever without making any progress. In fact, the longer they spin out, the more stuck the car gets.

Super busy people often get "stuck" in a rut, working harder and harder, only to find they are getting further and further behind.

In my next post I'll explain "how" to get your busy self organized, but here I just want to give you the main benefits of taking positive organizational action now.1. Gain time. Most time management gurus agree that you can save 10+ hours a week simply by getting your organizational act together.2. Reduce stress. When you are spinning in the mud, even the simplest additional requirement (like, turn left) seems overwhelming.3. Regain life balance. Sometimes just one wheel is flat or stuck, but it's impeding progress or throwing the entire vehicle out of balance.4. Enjoy time with family and friends. Being preoccupied with too many things to do robs you of the ability to enjoy the moment.5. Save money. Disorganization results in unnecessary spending because you re-buy items you can't find or you go out to eat instead of making a healthier and less-expense home cooked meal.6. Increase your earning capacity. Who would you pay more? The person who could get twice as much done as everyone else or the average performer?7. Have more energy. Being stuck results in standing still. You may be busy spinning your wheels, but you're not creating energy, you're only using it up.8. Be more flexible. When a car is in motion, moving forward, it's easy to turn. A stuck vehicle is nearly impossible to turn. You'll find you have a much greater ability to flex once you are unstuck and on your organized way.9. Sleep better. Once your mind is no longer juggling a "million things to do," you'll be able to relax and sleep.10. Be a great role model. Your nieces, nephews, kids and grandkids are all watching you. What is your life teaching them today?

There are a thousand things you can do to get organized now, but the following four lay the critical groundwork for your organizational success.1. Identify your organizational style and its weakness. In their book, "How to be Organized in Spite of Yourself: Time and Space Management that Works with Your Personal Style" by Sunny Schlenger and Roberta Roesch, they describe five time management styles:

The Hopper. Fast mover. Gets tons done, but often loses focus due to quick switches between tasks.

The Perfectionist Plus. Awesome final product, but has difficulty distinguishing between valuable and less-valuable uses of time.

Allergic to Detail. Thinks about the big picture and new ideas, but often refuses to take the necessary actions to make progress toward them.

The Fence Sitter. Perches where she can see both sides of any issue. Great perspective but often results in indecision vs. action.

The Cliff Hanger. Thrives on adrenaline, deadlines, and external pressure and has a hard time doing necessary mundane tasks.

2. Embrace your motivational uniqueness:

Do you perform best first thing in the morning? Tackle your biggest projects then.

Maybe you prefer to pick the low-lying fruit first and leave climbing the ladder of success until later in the day? Whichever works for you is your best scheduling approach.

As a natural-born organizer, I journal out all my projects for the day, week, etc, then estimate the amount of time each will take and its deadline, and finally organize them into a prioritized order. I usually do them in order, because that's how my brain works best.

3. Find the scheduling tool that works best for you:

I use a combination of Google Calendar and http://www.SuperSaas.com. Both can be accessed from any computer and by any person with permission. This enables my staff at the store, the restaurant, the websites PLUS family, media and event planners to self-book appointments with me within the parameters I set.

You might choose to use Outlook, a master calendar in the office or kitchen, an app on your iPod or whatever. The key is to find a system that you a) will use and b) is sophisticated enough to actually allow you to succeed. (ie - mine combines the ability to tap into my address book from the calendar, so I don't have to take that extra step).

4. Improve your daily routine. I don't mean that every day will be exactly the same, but every day should have some basic components. It already does! For example, every day, sometime or several times during the day, you eat, brush your teeth, look a mirror, answer your phone, get the mail, etc. There are several things even the most unorganized person does routinely. Your goal is to increase the number of those things until you get unstuck and back on top of your game. Some suggestions include:

Set aside 10-60 minutes a day for personal development through reading, solitude, meditation and prayer.

Build some exercise into your life. If you are truly strapped for time, buy a kettlebell. It costs under $30 and provides an entire body workout in one to three minutes.

Add thanksgiving to every day. Verbalizing gratitude for what you DO have increases joy, creativity and productivity while decreases angst and feelings of sadness.

Marnie Swedberg is the leadership mentor to over 13,000 leaders from 30 countries training B.U.S.Y. - Best Unique Strategies for You. Learn how to maximize your life in the minutes you have at http://www.Marnie.com.​

What do you really need or want out of life? How are you going about getting it? If you fail to get it, what’s going to happen to you? If you do get it, what will you do next?

No clue? Join the crowd! Want a clue? It’s up to you! By reading this article you are taking your first step toward joining the elite group of people who you currently refer to as “the ones who get all the good breaks.”

Doing life without being able to answer that first set of questions above is like putting together a jigsaw puzzle without having the box cover to look at:• You keep trying to put pieces together, but you aren’t even sure how it’s supposed to look.• You end up “forcing” pieces that don’t really fit, causing unnecessary pressure.• You rule out good connections, because you can’t see their value at the time they are in your hand, so you have to redo the work later.• You sometimes see someone else’s box cover and try to make your pieces fit into their image, but that just causes more frustration.• You find yourself feeling hopeless and desperate because you keep investing everything you can into your success, but seeing little or no positive results.

As the mentor to thousands of leaders worldwide, I have the joy of helping people get “unstuck” everyday. It’s as simple as helping them be able to identify their own unique “box cover”. Usually it’s sitting directly in front of them; they just haven’t been looking for it.

As you read the results of the following two studies, try to focus your attention off of any pressure you may feel to pursue a college degree, and onto the real change-maker.

Economist, Sandy Baum, and College Board research shows these current statistics:1. College graduates earn an average of $20,000 a year more than high school grads.2. MBAs, lawyers and others with professional degrees earn an average of $50,000 more than college grads.

Obviously, a little education goes a long way. However, it is not the education that provides the most powerful differentiating factor in financial success.

In 1979, Harvard conducted a study with their MBA graduates asking, “Have you set clear, written goals for your future and made plans to accomplish them?” Three percent said yes; 13 percent said they had goals that had not been written down; and 84 percent had no specific goals.

Ten years later, in a follow-up survey of these students,1. The 13 percent with goals were earning twice as much as the 84 percent with no goals.2. The 3 percent with written goals were earning an average of ten times as much as the other 97 percent put together.

Now, I know for a fact that you don’t need an MBA to succeed, because I barely graduated from high school and by almost any standard, I’m a successful person.

I also know that what you do need is an understanding of your own unique value to the world and a basic understanding of how to choose, set and pursue the right goals for you.

If you’ve ever tried goal-setting in the past, and have failed to achieve your target, it’s most likely because you’ve used someone else’s box cover. That will never work. You are unique. Your puzzle pieces are unique to you.

I encourage you to pursue training that teaches you how to process life through your own brain. I mean, don’t go for a cookie-cutter approach to success. Go for training that helps you identify and develop your own uniqueness, which is, in the end, your ticket to enjoying a successful life. How much do you feel training like that might be worth to you?

Remember, college diplomas run $30,000-100,000 plus four to five years of class time, but double your income potential. MBAs cost an additional $40,000-100,000, and one to three years of additional work, but double it again.

My own path required my family to invest hundreds of thousands of dollars into my personal training and experimentation. But the results have been phenomenal. I’ve had the ability and opportunity to mentor thousands of leaders who are currently influencing millions of others. In addition, I am blessed daily as I get to work with some of the happiest, most balanced and influential people in the world.

Was it worth it? To me it was!

Ask yourself this simple question: Would you attempt to find a friend’s house in a new city without an address or driving instructions?

If you are smart enough to say “of course not,” then you are smart enough to start investing into your own goals and success training.

Begin today to seek out training programs, mentors and coaches who are available to you and ready to help you discover the best unique strategies for you.

Business effectiveness starts and ends with positive relationships. As a person responsible for multiple meeting groups, I have developed a set of guidelines that work well - whether managing a restaurant, retail store, office staff or church volunteer committee. By personalizing these concepts, you will conduct a meeting more effectively.1. Have a plan and work it. Come to your meeting group prepared with a copy of the agenda for every attendee. You get what you model, so respect their time, intelligence and participation by bringing an agenda. Bring extra copies of the agenda in case unexpected visitors attend.2. Clearly define expectations. Pamela Cournoyer, a meeting leadership coach, explains that each agenda item should be categorized into one of these zones:a) Information: an announcement for information purposes only,b) Discussion: for a later decision,c) Decision: a decision is required today, ord) Action: ownership and deadline details must be established today.3. Start on time. Waiting for tardy attendees reinforces bad behavior and undermines business effectiveness. Start on time and don't repeat for the benefit of late participants. If someone insists on knowing what happened before they arrived (late), appeal to the group by saying something like, "I need some help here. Is there an agenda item we can agree to delete so we can go back to items 1 and 2, or should we just keep going?" Let the group help you corral your tardy attendees and insure that your meetings are effective.4. Embrace the personality types of meeting group members. Acknowledge the verbal thinkers by giving them opportunities to voice their opinions while honoring deep thinkers by watching for the right moment to invite their input. Your quiet attendees are often ready to express their thoughts when they begin shifting, scowling or otherwise changing their body language. Gently ask, "Sue, what are your thoughts about this?"5. Take notes, ideally on a computer with projector. The best of both worlds, this allows the secretary to take notes, display them to the meeting group simultaneously and keep your meetings effective both during and after the meeting.6. End on time, and on a high note. Tackle your heavy topics at the beginning of the meeting, reserving a few lighter items for the end. Present awards, party invitations, bonuses and other good news just before dismissing the meeting group.

By incorporating these guidelines, you will not only be able to host more effective meetings, but you will be modeling, and thereby developing, good meeting leadership habits for every person in your meeting groups.

Punny Tips for a Great Life1. Dream Big!Dream of a better tomorrow, where chickens can cross the road and not be questioned about their motives.2. Take chances.Flying for example, is the act of successfully throwing oneself at the ground and missing.3. Tread lightly.A friend said, “When I told the doctor I’d broken my leg in two places, he told me to quit going to those places.”4. Eat to Live.Like the vegetarians who do not love animals, but simply hate plants.5. Take up a cause.Support your right to bare arms: wear short sleeves.6. Don’t sweat the small stuff. A penny saved is ridiculous.7. Learn to appreciate the laws of the universe.Just remember, if the world didn’t suck, we’d all fall off.8. Think before you talk. Light travels faster than sound. That’s why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.9. Learn to be patient because you live in a society where fast food drive-thrus take longer than if you’d made it yourself.10. Argue tactfully.Try this: “OK, but that when I agree with you we’ll both be wrong.”11. Choose joy!Since God is watching, the least we can do is be entertaining.12. Be humble.“I don’t suffer from insanity; I enjoy every minute of it.”Marnie Swebberg is the online mentor to over thousands of leaders worldwide training B.U.S.Y. – Best Unique Strategies for You. Learn how to maximize your life at www.Marnie.com.

If you want your customers to give you good "word of mouth" advertising, you've got to give them something to talk about. Marketing buzz begins and blossoms with customer fun!

Playing "Restaurant Rook" from time to time is a fun way to engage your customers and fits neatly into a 5-8% marketing budget. A basic deck of Rook playing cards can be purchased for under $10 from any variety store.

Not only is the game enjoyable at the time, but the marketing buzz it generates is exponential compared to your average coupon or advertisement response. Some of the immediate benefits of Restaurant Rook include:- all of the players have a good experience - over 70% of the customers either win or enjoy watching someone else win - 20% of players actually win something they want to tell others about - about 5% win something big enough to brag about - the contest generates an eye-catching marquee sign out front, "Play Rook to Win" - the winner's list makes a great blog post - mini-blogs can be posted to your own social networking sites before, during and after - some of the winners will post their enthusiasm on their own social networking pages, and - an in-restaurant bulletin board, featuring the list of winners, continues to generate chatter in the lobby

To play the game, create three documents: One for the front door and two for the counter where the game will be played. Tape one onto the counter facing the staff and the other facing the customers. All three fliers should contain the rules, but only the one taped to the counter facing the customers should include spaces where the winners can write down their own names.

Note: About 20% of your average customer count will win, so make enough "winner's name" spaces for that many people.

Here are the "Restaurant Rook Rules" to post:1. Customer places and pays for order. 2. Employee shuffles the entire deck which contains one Rook card and four "10" cards. 3. Employee fans cards, upside down, toward customer. 4. The customer who paid for the order selects any 2 cards from the deck. 5. A "10" card gets you a 10% refund on your entire order. 6. The Rook card itself gets you $10.00 cash back (or the total you spent, whichever is less). 7. Customer prints name on winner's chart and indicates whether they got 10% back or $10. 8. If desired, customer may check the deck for the Rook and "10" cards, either before or after the draw, or both. Employee will shuffle cards before each draw.

Next time you want to generate some marketing buzz, energize your staff, or celebrate your customers, play a game of "Restaurant Rook."

Restaurant owner and media guest, Marnie Swedberg, has appeared on dozens of television and radio talk shows plus in newspaper and magazine articles. She is the webhostess of several resource sites for authors, speakers, leaders and business owners, plus is the co-owner/manager of the family's restaurant (M&K Takeouts) and the family's retail store (Soulutions) and espresso cafe (Over Coffee). Visit her hub at http://www.marnie.com to review other helpful resources.

Business effectiveness starts and ends with positive relationships. As a person responsible for multiple meeting groups, I have developed a set of guidelines that work well - whether managing a restaurant, retail store, office staff or church volunteer committee. By personalizing these concepts, you will conduct a meeting more effectively.1. Have a plan and work it. Come to your meeting group prepared with a copy of the agenda for every attendee. You get what you model, so respect their time, intelligence and participation by bringing an agenda. Bring extra copies of the agenda in case unexpected visitors attend.2. Clearly define expectations. Pamela Cournoyer, a meeting leadership coach, explains that each agenda item should be categorized into one of these zones:a) Information: an announcement for information purposes only, b) Discussion: for a later decision, c) Decision: a decision is required today, or d) Action: ownership and deadline details must be established today.3. Start on time. Waiting for tardy attendees reinforces bad behavior and undermines business effectiveness. Start on time and don't repeat for the benefit of late participants. If someone insists on knowing what happened before they arrived (late), appeal to the group by saying something like, "I need some help here. Is there an agenda item we can agree to delete so we can go back to items 1 and 2, or should we just keep going?" Let the group help you corral your tardy attendees and insure that your meetings are effective.4. Embrace the personality types of meeting group members. Acknowledge the verbal thinkers by giving them opportunities to voice their opinions while honoring deep thinkers by watching for the right moment to invite their input. Your quiet attendees are often ready to express their thoughts when they begin shifting, scowling or otherwise changing their body language. Gently ask, "Sue, what are your thoughts about this?"5. Take notes, ideally on a computer with projector. The best of both worlds, this allows the secretary to take notes, display them to the meeting group simultaneously and keep your meetings effective both during and after the meeting.6. End on time, and on a high note. Tackle your heavy topics at the beginning of the meeting, reserving a few lighter items for the end. Present awards, party invitations, bonuses and other good news just before dismissing the meeting group.By incorporating these guidelines, you will not only be able to host more effective meetings, but you will be modeling, and thereby developing, good meeting leadership habits for every person in your meeting groups.Marnie Swedberg is the owner and manager of a restaurant, retail store and espresso cafe. She also hosts websites generating millions of hits per year. Her Leadership Training materials are available at http://www.LeadershipAttitudes.com.

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